It may just be three lines, it may just be a sentence, but it's not just a poem. This is where haiku tends to fall flat for me - no titles, not if you're doing it right - and I think titles are so important and often neglected being relegated to labels (and I'm as guilty as the next man) but this is a good title. I like it and the poem that follows.

Jim - I love it when you like them! I might have guessed you would like this because it is a descendant of my poem 'Problems with value' (that I remember you liking too). I think 'pwv' came out in the comments somewhere a while ago but it can also be found at my site (under 'poems', under 'distress and recovery'). It's possibly the only poem I wish I had put in my book (but didn't). It's quite an old one. 'Exhale' is new - just yesterday.

Well, I’m glad you’re glad. I’m honestly not deliberately niggardly with my praises. It’s just I know what you’re capable of. Also I think there’s a tendency on the Web to be a bit too gushing. Believe you me when I tell you a poem is excellent I mean it. That doesn’t mean when I say nothing it’s dire but I’ll always tell you when you’ve done a good job.

I do know what you mean about gushing online, Jim. Some blogs (and their comments) are even too non-stop positive for me (and I'm all for positivity...). My rule is fairly simple - if I like something I say so (whether that's one detail or a whole poem). If it's a person I sort of know and there's something about a poem that I feel I can be helpful with then I might make a more critical comment too. I don't do that often - just now and again when I really feel something is letting a poem down in some way and could be improved by the writer (obviously they won't necessarily agree!). I guess your rule is quite similar.

I loved the joke on HIGNFY about Woods' wife soon being the biggest earner on the golf tour. And the moral of that story is...there's no such thing as a clean-cut image (always look round the back...).

Ps. I releaed one of your poetry cards into the wilds o Wicklow yesterday as part of PIS (poetry in shops) month. Hope you don't mind,they just look so pick- up-able, compared to my scraps.It seemed excited and pleased with itself as I left.Might check back on it today.

I've been reading Simic for years. Largely because he totally mystified me at first. Poems that apparently made no sense what so ever. But now I read him and just get it. Surrealist glimpses of the world. Like this one:

'My secret identity is:'

The room is empty,

and the window is open. '

Not heard much mention of him actually. I've got quite a few of his books. He a rare wee poet but associated with the ivory tower, and overlooked by many for that reason. :)

The thing with me McGuire is that I know very little about which poets are seen as what (whether ivory tower, people's friend etc.). I don't speak to other poets much, I didn't study Eng Lit, I don't read poetry magazines or research papers or lit crit (and just the idea of 'schools of writing' makes my mind curl up and fall asleep somehow) so I really do just take a poet by whichever poem I'm reading at that time. I liked this Simic poem (clear and yet vague...my favourite). That's pretty much as far as I go with analysis (or at least analysis that I could type...after that it all gets a bit wordless and deep, man).

Weaver - neither on't blog nor in life do you come across as verbose, my friend!x